The Underdog Earbuds of 2026

I prefer to take heed to music or podcasts whereas commuting. On account of my behavior of carrying a hat with a large brim – suppose fedora-style – I’ve restricted selections when choosing a headset for journey. I’ve been eager to observe earbuds improvement over time, and Edifier has been a quiet achiever on this house. They persistently put out {hardware} that makes audiophiles weep with pleasure. The Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 is their newest earbuds providing this yr.

I’ve spent the final week with these earbuds glued to my ears, they usually would possibly simply be the underdog earbuds for 2026.

Packaging Contents

Hybrid Driver Setup for Higher Sound

Most conventional earbuds use a single dynamic driver – basically a bit cone that strikes forwards and backwards. It’s dependable however can get a bit muddy when making an attempt to deal with heavy bass and crisp highs on the identical time.

The Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 makes use of a hybrid setup: a dynamic driver plus a Knowles Balanced Armature driver to attain enhanced readability. This mix handles completely different frequency ranges extra successfully, providing you with cleaner separation between bass, mids, and highs.

Energetic Noise Cancellation That Really Works

The Edifier NeoBuds Professional 2 had been already nice at blocking out the world, however the NeoBuds Professional 3 steps it up with a higher vary – as much as -50dB of noise cancellation depth. I put on these on public buses and might solely hear minimal street noise hum. Throughout work, they’re equally efficient at shutting out distractions. I like that the earbuds make it straightforward to modify between ANC on and off with a easy management.

In comparison with the NeoBuds Professional 2, the Professional 3 covers a wider frequency vary as much as 4kHz, which higher filters out human voices and high-pitched clatter that older ANC know-how normally struggles with. This makes a noticeable distinction in busy environments like cafes or open workplaces.

Excessive-Decision Audio Assist

On paper, the Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 helps LHDC 5.0 (192kHz/24-bit) plus LDAC for high-resolution audio output. Although it’s technically lossy, the NeoBuds Professional 3 will reproduce particulars and readability just like the decay of an orchestral efficiency or the reverb in a room. In case you’re utilizing one thing like Google Pixel Buds with AAC, that reverb would merely be deleted from the audio.

The catch is that you just want a music service that helps these codecs. I’m not a real audiophile and use YouTube Music more often than not, which doesn’t help LHDC 5.0. Verify your music app’s function availability for hi-res audio – the Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 helps it out of the field, however you want the supply content material to match.

Battery Life That Lasts

Edifier markets the NeoBuds Professional 3 as having 36 hours of battery life with the case. I exploit the earbuds periodically – throughout commuting and productiveness time – and normally take them off throughout espresso catch-ups or offline conferences. The case delivers three hours of playtime on a 15-minute cost, which is helpful if you’ve forgotten to cost in a single day.

In follow, I usually cost the earbuds and case on the fifth day with a median of six hours of every day utilization. That’s fairly stable for the way I exploit them, and I think most individuals will get related outcomes.

Multipoint Connectivity Achieved Proper

Multipoint connectivity is a must have function in my ebook, and the Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 delivers. It lets me swap audio between my telephone and work laptop computer seamlessly. The earbuds robotically swap to work laptop computer audio when a web-based assembly begins. After I depart work, they robotically swap again to my telephone – no extra handbook headset switching in any respect.

This seems like a small factor, but it surely makes an enormous distinction in every day use. It’s a kind of options you don’t admire till you will have it, after which you’ll be able to’t think about going again.

Snug for Train and Energetic Use

I sometimes put on earbuds throughout night walks or mild train, and I don’t discover any discomfort even when sweating. The IP54 ranking means they will deal with sweat and light-weight rain with out points, although I wouldn’t put on them in heavy rain with out an umbrella.

Out of the field, the Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 contains complete silicone tip sizes – seven completely different choices in comparison with simply three with my Google Pixel Buds. I can’t advocate sufficient that you just choose and check out completely different sizes to make sure the earbuds keep in place. This impacts each consolation and ANC efficiency, particularly for those who’re utilizing them with an lively way of life.

The Edifier ConneX App Expertise

The Edifier ConneX app (on Android) is easy and important to get essentially the most out of those earbuds. I like with the ability to customise the audio profile and alter how robust the ANC is. There are detailed options for private touches too, akin to customising LED strips on the case.

The NeoBuds Professional 3 additionally helps spatial audio with head monitoring, and the app lets me calibrate this function. I’ve configured my proper earbud to allow Google Assistant on demand, which is very easy to activate when asking easy questions like what my subsequent appointment is or checking the climate forecast.

Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 Overview Conclusion

The Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 is a superior choose for noise-cancelling earbuds in 2026. I’d positively advocate them for individuals who prioritise noise cancellation, the pliability of multipoint connectivity, lengthy battery life, and total reliability. The hybrid driver setup delivers glorious sound high quality, and the excellent silicone tip choices guarantee a cushty, safe match.

The primary consideration is whether or not your music streaming service helps hi-res audio codecs like LHDC 5.0 or LDAC. In case you’re utilizing providers that don’t help these options, you received’t get the complete audio high quality potential – although the earbuds nonetheless sound glorious with normal codecs.

At A$249.99 RRP, the Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 gives robust worth for cash, particularly when in comparison with premium choices from greater manufacturers that value considerably extra.

Disclosure: Edifier NeoBuds Professional 3 evaluation pattern was equipped for reviewing